Motor vehicle hood locking construction



Aug. 10, 1943. J. w. GREIG MOTOR VEHICLE HOOD LOCKING CONSTRUCTION Filed June 16, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet l Aug. 10, 1943.

J. w. GREIG MOTOR VEHICLE HOOD LOCKING CONSTRUCTION Filed June 16, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 James M6)? y Ma W S- fliiornQl/S.

Aug. 10, 1943. J. w. GREIG MOTOR VEHICLE HOOD LOCKING CONSTRUCTION Filed June 16, 1938 s Sheets-Sheet s In uerz ipr:

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tnism more fully;

Patented Aug. 10, 1943 UNITED STATE P "Moron VEHICLE HooDLooKING 1 i CONSTRUCTION Y James W. Greig, Grosse PointePark, Mich, as-

signor to Hudson Motor Car Company, Detroit,; I Mich, a corporation ofMichigan Application June 16, 1938, SerialNo. 214,072]

. [6 claims; (o1.292-,-21 i) s 'This invention relates to motor vehicle construction, and particularly to locking mechanism for the usual hood or bonnet which is employed -to enclose the motor and associatedp'arts, but

which may, when required, beopened to afiord The. invention has for its' general'object to f herein beyond the requirements of the prior: art.

provide an improved bonnet'locking mechanism which, by engagement with the parts at a plurality ofpoints, will resiliently force'the'sa'me into and hold them in closed position and will also positively lock said parts against release.

except by means operable solelyfrom the'interior of the vehicle, so as to be inaccessible to unauthorized persons when the doors of, the vehicle are locked.

In Figspland. 2 is shown apiortion of a; motor vehicle bodyincludingfront pillars' lfz, cowl' I6, dash lTL; instrument panel; l8 "and a hood com- I prising fixed side'panels i9 and' afiorward' grille portion 20:" Hinged, asatfii, to the f xed por-. Qtion of the hood-is a unitary-bonnet member. or [movable top panelZl'having a bottom flange 22 1 f adaptedjto' ciose iagainst top flanges 23 on the fixedhood portion andbeing adapted to be s'up-' I "ported inthe raised position shown in Fig. 1 by "The more particular objects of the invention,

together with means whereby the latter 'may be carried into effect, will-best'be understood from the following description of certain illustrative embodiments thereof shown in the accompanying drawings, these, however, having been chosen for purposes of exemplification merely, it being obviousthat-the'invention, as defined bythe claims hereunto appended, may be otherwise; embodied without departurefrom thespirit and scope thereof. 1

In said drawings: Q

Fig} 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a portion of a motor vehicle looking forward of the vehicle hood. V

Fig. 2 is-a similar view looking rearwardof the vehicle hood and showing the locking mecha- Fig. 3 is a'fragmentarycentral longitudinal section through a portion of the vehicle and illus- V trating the operation of the locking mechanism.

Figs, 4 and 5 are ing modifications. V r r V N r Fig. 6 is a fragmentary front elevation, looking toward the dash, of a portion of the mechanism shown in'Fig. 4. Q

Fig. -7 'is a similar views similar to Fig. 3 show- I view of the mechanism shown'in Fig. 5

1 V Before explaining in detail the present invention it isto-be understood that the invention is not limited'in its application to the details of bearranged to cooperate with ot "a folding support 2;? Adjacent its "free end the bonnet member ij"isproVide'd With a cross brace 25havihg abdttom iiange 26 withwhich, in,the. ,s everal embodiments of the. invention shown, :the locking devices; cooperate; although it will be obvious that said lockingdevices might bonnetas, for example, the; flanges22;

' eral ly similar, 'with so'me modification, to the mechanism shown in the prior application v-of' The locking mechanism hereinshown'is gen- Northrup and'Greig; filed January 28,1938, Seri- {ears 28'on-brackets29 and at pointsfladjacent -al No; 187346. l t cornprises a' 'crossishait" or v I 4 rod 21 rotatably mounted ad'jacentits ends in *the center of "the vehicle in ears 36cm a bracket tlfsaid brackets being secured as by spot weldiingfto the fd'ash H. At itsends'the shaft il z'carries'locking members 32--which"' may bein the form of separate dogs; as in the application above construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings, since theinvention is capable of otherembodiinents and of being practiced or carried out invarious ways. Also it is to be understoodthat the phraseology for terminology employed herein is for the purposeof description and not of limitation, andit is not intended to limitf theinvention claimed '-referredto,- securedto the end of thesh'ait, but

are herein shown as integral angular extensions of the shaft and the free ends'33fo'f which are I arranged to engag ethe bottom fiange'26 of the I f cross member 2510f thebonnet 25, as 'S hOWY LiII I 5 full lines in Fig.3. Thus it will be seen that the rlocking'devices'are arranged adjacent opposite sides of the bonnet, when closed,=and engage the bonnet member {5 atpoints transversely spaced.

' with respect to the direction of travel of the vehicle," At its intermediate portion,': between the being eccentric tothe pivot'38if I T T IIO F CE;

her partsof the,

In Fig. 3 the bonnet 2| is shown in full lines 7 in closed and locked position. In order to unlock the same the operating lever 31 is swung forwardly into the dotted line position, thereby causing the link 35 to swing the crank 34 forwardly and raise the locking members 32, as indicated by the full line arrow A, a sufficient distance away from the flange 26 to permit the bonnet to be lifted. When the bonnet is closed, the hand lever 31 is restored to the full line position in Fig. 3, moving the pivot 40 beyond dead center, or beyond the line connecting the pivot 38 with the crank'pin 340. This causes the locking vmembers 32 to be returned:toward the full line position into engagement with the flange 26.- Should the bonnet not be fully closed at either or both sides, causing the cross member 25 to as-: I sume the dotted line position 25a in Fig.3, the

locking members in their descent will move in the path indicated by dotted line arrow. B into engagement with the flange 26 andjten'd to draw the same into fully closed positionshown infull lined-any obstruction to the complete movement being, permitted by the resilience o'f'the link 35 which also efie'ct'ively holds thejpa'rtsagainst rattling. The movementof theiparts permitted by the resilience of said link is, however, in sufiicient to permit disengagement of the locking member 32 from the flange 2 5, and particularly from thelip'ZBB with which free edge of said 'flange is p referably provided, by any movement of the bonnet from theexterior of the vehicle, so that, as the lever 3'! ispositively locked by the the locking members will still function together to draw down the bonnet and will at all times {have firm engagement with the bonnet since the torsional resiliency of shaft 21 will permitrelative yieldable movement of the locking members.

I. claim:

i V -1; A locking mechanism for motor vehicle hood constructions having fixed side panels and a movable top panel, said mechanism including a cross 'shaft having a crank, spaced locking devices on said shaft and simultaneously operable thereby ."to engage thev edges of the top panel and main- "tain itjinclosed'fposition on the side panels, an

operating 7 member, and a resilient connection between'said operating member and crank:

'2. In a motor vehicle having ,a bonnet pivoted at its forward end to permit the-rear end to be raised and lowered, a pair of transversely spaced movable locking; devices adapted to cooperate with the underside of the rear movable end, of

the'bonnet at transversely spaced points for lock- ".ing the same, a rock shaft. for simultaneously I'operating said'devices, ahandle mounted withtoggle action above fdescribem thebonnet can be r released only by deliberate push or 9 11i opera tion of said "lever within the vehicle. W

'I heiconstruction shown in, Figs. 4 (i is similar tolthat above described with spect to t s f 2J 2 ns m m er 3 and. 52 In this construction the ears 301a in which theshaft j e n, We t uq i l1 -.re 34 pivotallyconnected to a bowed resilient link 42 which in turn is pivoted at-47 toa toggle lever arm fixed to the forward end of a rock shaft H journalledinj the bracket H, 'I'heshaftextends throughthe dash l linto the vehicle and is iournalled adjacent its rear-end in a bracket 45' welded or otherwise secured to the under side of the instrument panel i8, said shaft being provided at its inner extremity, with an operating i handle 46. Theparts are shown in looking posi- Y tion in full lines in Figs. i andj6, in which posi- 'tionit'will be observed that thepoint of pivotal connection 4'! of the spring link 12 with the arm 413 'is beyond the dead center line connecting the axis or the shaft 44' with-the crank n'squ, so. that the parts can be unlocked only by turn ing the handle 45 from within the vehicle. 'The construction'shown in Figs. '5 and 7 is substantially like that shown in Figs; 4 and 6 with Alsoin this construction the bracket theinterior' of the vehiclepand means including a resilient connection for turning the shaft from said handle. H I 3. In a' motorvehicle hood construction having-fixed side panels. and a bonnet movable rela- '27 is journalled'intermediate its ends are carried by separate brackets 3 Iasecured to a-brackv W- P W l e er other e s u ed o t e' tive thereto, a bonnetg locking mechanism comprising a cross shaft extending transversely-of ,the hood, upwardly and downwardly swinging bonnet locking members connected to'the shaft and arranged to contact means on the undersideof the b'o nnet when in closed position and to exert downward pressure thereonat transversely sepaced points when m'oved to locking position, an operating member for said shaft mounted interiorly of the vehicle, and; means including a the exception thatth'e bowed resilient link 12 is replaced by astraight;substantially rigid linkfl, :thenecessary resilience in the connections being I provided by the-torsional resilience of the shaft or-rod 1b which corresponds generallyto' the bracket I.,,is provided withasingle integral ear 38b in which the shaft 21 is ,journalled adjacentthe crank 34, said shaft being -formed with struck up projections 4R engaging the ea rs 13 to hold. said shaft againstlongi-tudinal movement. F v I It will be particularlynoted that by virtue of unlocking the bonnet. a

resilient connection between-saidoperating member and shaft for turning the latter to move said locking memb'ers.

- 4. In a-motor vehicle hood-construction having fiked side panels and a bonnet movable relative thereto, a bonnet locking mechanism, comprising a cross shaft extending transversely {)ffthe l'hood; upwardly and downwardly swinging bonnet locking members connected to the shaftand arranged to.,contact-means on the underside of the bonnet when in closed position I and to exert downward pressure; thereon at. transversely spaced v p'oints when-:m oved, to lockingv position, an operating member for said shaft mounted interiorly of the vehicle, and means between said operating member and shaft for, turning the latter to move saidlocking members for locking-and 5 In a motor'vehicl ood constructionhaving fixed side panels and ,al bo'nnet movable relative he i iz-abe i I9 i ..,m is c r ing a cross shaft extending transverselyof the --hood, iipwardl;y and tdownwardly; swinging bonnet locking members mounted directly :upon a the shaft nee rane d s nta t ns n e mde l e f hele ne t wh in lo r s na =1 w wnw dPressur h on a n "ver sely spaced points when moved to locking position, an operating member for said shaft mounted interiorly of the vehicle, and means including a resilient connection between said opv to be raised and lowered, a pair of transversely erating member and shaft for turning the latter to move said locking members.

6. In a motor vehicle hood construction having fixed upright side panels and a bonnet pivoted at its forward end to swing about'a transverse horizontal axis lying in a horizontal plane whereby the rear end of the bonnet is adapted spaced locking device s cooperable with means on the underside of the rearend of the bonnet at transversely spaced points f01 locking, the same in closed position by drawing down said rear end, an actuating handle mounted within the interior'of the vehicle, and means connecting said handle and locking devices for simulr taneously actuating the same. 5 10- JAMES Gama. 

